๐ฎ๐๐๐๐๐๐ 7: ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐
Anthony puts on the final part of his uniform, it had been more than a month since he started training in the Western Kingdom, and the time he spent in training turned out to be like hell to him.
He was forced to single handedly pull a huge boulder, more than a thousand pushups and sit-ups while being halfly immersed in water. Forced to hold their breaths under water for over several long minutes... His worst part being when they were dropped in a metal room, their hands and legs tied firmly and Vindacurve flooding the entire room with unbearable heat.
So far only one person died, David. He was a kind hearted one and died of drowning.
Anthony huffs out finally ready, he turns to canvass his private cottage. 'It was time for the mid training,' Vindacurve said a day ago. He made them gather round a fire and told them, 'their next training would be in the demon forest,' where they would finally reach the level of being Vekens.
Vindacurve assigned them new Seniors to train them since Senior Nathan and Resrin were being called for their own special meetings, days ago, as Vindacurve said.
Anthony nervously exhales again remembering the name Vindacurve gave him as his trainer... The Dark Hunter.
The name made him anxious and a little uneasy. But from what he had learned so far in his training, only the fearful die a wasteful death. So he prepared himself for the arrival of his carriage.
Knock!
Just on time.
Anthony's heart seizesa bit after hearing the knock. He took last glances at his room before going to the door.
Anthony opens the door. The coach stood holding a long scroll in his hand and thoroughly sizing Anthony up.
"Anthony?" He asked face filled with disbelief.
"That's me," Anthony answers grinning at the coach.
The coach turns to his carriage before whispering, "I thought you would be much taller."
"Well I am not!"
The coach froze, he takes a glance at Anthony, a smile plastered to his face. "You-heard-me?"
Anthony pats him on the shoulder, "let's be on our way."
"A beginner with such heightened sense if hearing... What is the Western kingdom turning kids into." The coach leads Anthony to the carriage.
The carriage takes off soon after. Leaving the premises of the cottage.
Anthony turns back and peeks out the window taking his last glances at his cottage from a distance. He sees the figure of a man watching his carriage leave. He was too far to be recognized.
"Who is that?" He asked himself as the carriage finally swerves into another street and out of eyes view of the cottage.
Vindacurve watched the carriage bend into a turn and out is sight. "Anthony," he whispers to himself. During the last few weeks his power and strength increased fairly, as well the others.
He noticed the deep drive of Anthony getting stronger, he wanted revenge as Nathan said. That was why he assigned him to Kiraya, the dark hunter... Similarly, Kiraya lost his entire family in one night. His ability to withstand and hold his anger and rage against demons is envied among his mates. That's why he would be perfect for Anthony... "Just hoping he learns the lesson he needs to before it becomes too late."
...
The carriage comes to a stop finally. "We have reached your destination," the coach said. "Please alight."
"Thank you," Anthony said before swinging the door open and alighting the carriage. The carriage immediately takes off with a cloud of dust forming behind it as it rode back the way they came.
"Whoa," Anthony exhales softly. He stood facing a cottage made of wood in the middle of a small forest patch, but more incredible was the high mountain peak that reached above the skies.
Anthony takes a few steps to the cottage with a great sense of foreboding. He listens for any signs of life. He senses nothing. He became unsure if anyone was around. Maybe he was sent to the wrong destination? He tilted his head around to the carriage, "coach..." Before he could complete he realizes there was no one there but he.
"Now what?" He turns back to the cottage. "Ahhh!" There were two pairs of eyeballs staring right at him just an inch away. It was the face of someone that snuck up on him.
Anthony reached for his sword in it's scabbard and withdrawed it, he swings for the face of the man. Before he could attack the man lays a more faster hit raising his elbow and planting it into Anthony's shoulder.
"Ahhh!" Anthony's whole body shudders and in shock froze as he fell to the ground knocked out cold.
...
He sniffs, smoke, tea... And food. He was on a mat, he could hear his hostile kidnapper in front of him, pouring tea into cups.
He needed to escape from... Who exactly?... The man was lightning fast, he could vaguely remeber the face of the man or what he wore, he had only caught a glimpse of him earlier and couldn't just jump into conclusions without knowing who he was really up against.
"Anthony, it's tea time," he heard the comical tone of his hostile host.
Anthony instantly sprang up to his feet. Alert he pulled out his sword again from his scabbard with his left and pointed it at the man. Anthony takes a thorough glance of the man, white in complexion, thick black long hair, reaching down to his shoulders, he wore on a black uniform, long shirt, long trousers, with the Western kingdom symbol on the left side of his chest. His face had an unwavering smile that puts Anthony on edge.
"I am Meku Kiraya." He pleasantly replies.
Anthony mouth was agape. "You are Senior Kiraya?" Senior Kiraya nods. "The dark hunter?"
Senior Kiraya chuckles delightfully. "You were really spooked when I came to pick you up at the drop point."
Anthony's face reddens in embarrassment, he tried to fight his teacher. He knelt and bows his head, "I am sorry For trying to fight you... Forgive me."
Senior Kiraya exhales softly sipping his tea afterwards. "It's good to be keen to your environment... I really envy you."
Anthony raises his head to stare at Senior Kiraya in disbelief. "You envy me?"
"You have such keen senses of eating and smell, at such a young time of age," Senior Kiraya explained. "But those skills are rarely reliable in fighting demons... That's why I use vibe and taste."
"My vibe and taste aren't that good." Anthony continues, "Back at the Western kingdom Vindacurve thโฆ "
"Master Vindacurve," Senior Kiraya cuts him off. "Such a wonderful teacher, he is the best you can find and his care is outstanding."
The best yes, but care is a long choke, Anthony thought. "So what's next."
Senior Kiraya jerks his head to give Anthony a blissful smile. "We climb the second peak of Throm."
"I will prepare myself the best for tomorrows journey," Anthony said reclining back to the mat.
"No one said anything about a tomorrow, we have to go now."
"But first I will explain the history of the peaks of Throm," Senior Kiraya clears his throat to begin.
"Many years ago there was a power heated battle between the demon hunters and god demons..."
"What are god demons?" Anthony asks.
Senior Kiraya gives a displeasing look before continuing, "no interruptions," he said with a spiteful voice, though his ominous happy face was full of joy, his tone told more of a threat than blissfulness.
"Demons are cursed humans, cursed by the ancient dragon god. The Monster Rank are main demons, god demons. They have wings," he joked about the last part to make Anthony smile.
Anthony laughed a bit.
"The god Rank Throm and Horitoshi Vekun fought against countless of demon hunters. Throm was defeated but Horitoshi escaped."
"His powers lived on, creating this forest, the demon forest in the middle of the five peaks."
"Throm Monster Rank is the forest?" Anthony asks.
"Actually yes," Senior Kiraya gives a thumbs up gesture at Anthony. "His powers were to create Bloodbanes and common time illusions."
Anthony gulps hard as the words Bloodbane came past his ears, killing one was frustrating enough, but dozens of Bloodbanes were sure to crush him with ease.
"Salihuna Habatha just left recently with her students," Anthony recollected, the other trainer at the Western kingdom. "They were nice students to teach and fast learners... They finished training in just a few months."
"Wait! I am going to train here for more than a month?"
"Thank won't be a problem for someone who actually mutilated a bloodbane."
Anthony stared anxious of how Senior Kiraya knew, "how?"
Senior Kiraya cackles loudly, "I am a Meku I know more than you think."
...
The mountains base was now in view. Anthony walked behind Senior Kiraya at a steady pace. They had been silent since they left the cottage.
"Vindacurve sent me a message," Senior Kiraya said finally breaking the silence.
Anthony hardly could believe it. "Me?" He asked with an odd look on his face, "why would Vindacurve do that?"
Senior Kiraya turns to Anthony. "He said something about you losing your home to a demon."
He checks Anthony's face to see traces of gloominess. He continues further, "I know how you feel, how old were you when it happened?"
Anthony exhaled sadly and answers, "it happened months ago, they were killed by a Monster Rank. I couldn't save any of them."
"I know the feeling, I lost all of my family in one night when I was six," Senior Kiraya said with a cold expressionless tone.
"Though many, has happened ever since, now I think less about them, I am also happy for what befall them, their death helped me open my eyes to see many more died everyday for the same reason my family died. Now I have a reason!" He raised his voice high and shouted out to the forest... "To save humanity!"
Anthony senses Senior Kiraya's optimism. His family died for him to save humanity? Could that be?
"Here we are!" Senior Kiraya stopped Anthony from going another step.
Anthony zest dwindles as he saw in front rain. He tilted his head back to see the dry and thick forest, and immediately turned back to see the heavy rain at the base of the mountain.
"What the hell is that?" He panicked.
Senior Kiraya chuckled, "it is what we call Aura rain, if you walk in the rain going up for a while, you will start to feel the hundred ton weight of the Aura rain cramping your body and thinning your breath, the only way to get through is to use as much Aura as you can to keep on going."
What did he mean? Anthony asked himself, everything Senior Kiraya said confused him. He needed Aura to keep on going? At least he knew how to manifest Aura.
"Come along Anthony!" Senior Kiraya called out playfully.
Anthony hesitates, "Senior!..."
Before he could complete his sentence Senior Kiraya darted for the Aura rain wall, "try to keep up."
Panicstricken Anthony follows, getting uneasy feels from the wall of Aura rain in front.
"Ahhhhh!" He jumps into the rain, running contineously forward.
He is jolted to see nothing but rain drops everywhere. He lost sight of Kiraya fast, but continues to run forward in attempt to find him again.
At some extent he slowed to a jog knowing well established he was lost.
"Senior Kiraya!" He shivered out of his shaky throat, his cry for help was drowned instantly by the rains noise.
"Senior..." He coughs out water before he could complete his sentence. It was no use the noise was dominant over the vicinity. His heart skipped a beat, his breathing grew heavy, at the thought if he would die here.
Maybe his nose? He thought sniffing around for any scents desperately, hoping he could find Kiraya. But nothing. He couldn't even smell the outside trees, every scent were being washed away by the rain drops. Hearing was obviously not an option in here, then what?
If only he had taste or had trained his vibe to a crucial level and long maximum range it would have been of great use now. He regretted been lazy to further into vibe when Vindacurve thought it. For now the only thing he could vibe was a feet close and taste the tastelessness of the water.
He just had to continue going up, as it was his best choice. He took his very next step to suddenly feel a huge weight drop on him. "Grrrh" he grunted as he felt all his muscles rippling and joint sqeak like rusted metal, his legs shaking violently. With every step he took forward he began feeling his joint hurt like hell.
The agony became too much a misery for Anthony to continue, he turns back sharply to go down to safety.
"Ahhhh!" On turning he feels the weight on his body increase even more greatly, his breath thinning, his heart began to rapidly beat. For a second he felt he was about to die.
Instinctively he tries to run but falls to his knees unable to move and breath. He choked in the rain his face halfly immersed in a puddle of water that increases every passing second. His eyes blinked uncontrollably as the rain got into it. More importantly his life blinked before him.
Anthony began to shake uncontrollably, with no air left to breath and water overflowing into his systems. He pounded on his chest instinctively with all his might trying every possible way to again breath, until eventually, there was little left energy to move.
Anthony drifted into unconsciousness fast knowing very well he would die. "Kiraya..." He whispers lastly to himself.
...
Anthony's eyes sprang open, he immediately sat himself up forcefully letting out endless amount of water pump out of his nostrils and mouth, maybe even his eyes.
He sees Senior Kiraya sitting in the bed he was lyed on. Senior Kiraya had changed both their cloths into comfortable black satin robes, he tied his hair properly and neatly.
"Senior Kiraya," Anthony called out in a very low tone. Realizing he had just puked water on half the bed.
Kiraya stares at Anthony his normal zest filled smile and positive look glimmering as usual. "Wasn't that fun... You learned your first lesson."
Anthony gave an resentful look, "as what?"
Senior Kiraya answered, "you are pathetic and weak, saved by a girl."
Anthony was shocked by the last, "a girl?"
Senior Kiraya looks at Anthony optimistically, "the girl... Her name!" He yelled out, "is! Fiona!"
"Fiona?" Anthony asked, he remembered her as one of his colleagues in training, she was the most powerful during training, a scary figure... Why would she save him?
"Rest up Anthony k..."
"K?" Anthony asked with a puzzled look.
"Anthony Kiraya... Anthony k," Senior Kiraya patted him on the head. "Tomorrow is going to be a lot difficult than today."
Anthony watched Senior Kiraya walk out of the room. He reclined back to his bed. "What a bad day," he said within. One thing for sure the next would be worse.